Kaikōura is facing a multi-million-dollar repair bill as work to fix the damage caused by the July 7 flooding continues.
Kaikōura District Council has drafted an application to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s emergency works fund to assist with roading infrastructure repairs.
More than 450mm of rain is believed to have fallen on July 7 and 8.
While flood protections held firm to protect the town, stopbanks burst in other areas causing extensive damage to farmland.
Millions of cubic metres of gravel was brought down in the flood, raising the river bed by five to seven metres in places and leaving the town vulnerable to a future rain event.
While the council is eligible for the usual co-funding rate of 51 percent, any increase in the Government share would be subject to approval from the NZTA board.
Council chief executive Will Doughty said the council was exploring several options with NZTA, from a basic repair costing $8m, a mid-range recovery at $12m or long-term resilience at $30m.
‘‘We’re still getting our head around the damage and costings,’’ he said.
‘‘Each option would help address flood damage, with varying levels of investment in future-proofing the network against extreme weather events.
‘‘We really need to land the funding with NZTA, but some of the work can’t wait. It has to be prioritised.’’
The recovery programme includes urgent repairs at multiple sites and has been grouped into 14 separate work packages across the district.
The approach to Cribb Creek bridge on Kaikōura Inland Road was washed away by flood waters.
Mr Doughty said he hoped a decision on its repair would be made soon, in a bid to get it open before Christmas.
Other rural roads, including Puhi Puhi Road, remain ‘‘fragile’’ following the weather event.
Mr Doughty and Mayor Craig Mackle have been ‘‘actively advocating’’ with Government Ministers and Kaikōura MP Stuart Smith for assistance.
The council’s annual rates income is around $10m from just 3000 ratepayers, with staff highlighting the importance of transport connections for residents, businesses and tourists.
An NZTA spokesperson said the agency has been in discussions with the council since the flood event.
While a draft application for emergency works funding has been prepared, a finalised formal application has yet to be submitted.
‘‘Once that formal application is submitted, it will need to go through the necessary processes before being considered by NZTA’s board,’’ the spokesperson said.
NZTA has been managing flood recovery work of its own following the July 7 event, with repairs to State Highway 1 at Conway River and other parts of the state highway network.
Environment Canterbury is due to update the Kaikōura District Council on Wednesday, October 14, on its repair work.
The regional council is facing a total repair bill of up to $33m from the flood.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
